Does it harm a horse to take them from a heated barn out in to the cold ?

[minimom1]

Hi All

I live in balmy Alberta Canada where right now on Oct 9 our daytime high is -5 Celcius and snow on the ground. We have a heated barn that is kept around +5 Celcius.

My question is does it harm a horse IF I bring them in to the heated barn at night and then BLANKET and put them out in the morning ?

How much of a temprature difference can they handle ?

They do have shelters in the paddocks as well and heated water buckets

My boss who doesnt know that much about horses is convinced that I am going to make them sick and that they will get runny noses etc. He thinks they should stay out 24/7. The reasons I bring them in are

1> I have 2 mini horses and a mini donkey that I just dont feel right leaving outside overnight when it can be as cold as -45 with the wind.

2> I find I spend more time with them when I bring them in as being how cold it gets I dont really hang around outside and visit them.

My horses seem to LIKE coming in and I NEVER have to force anyone in to the barn at night .. they are more than happy and run for the barn when I open it.

What would you do ? Keep them in the heated barn at night and blanket to put outside or leave them out 24/7

 

[Minimor]

Quite frankly I would leave them outside 24/7. It is healthier for them than moving them in/out from heated barn to outside & back in again. They may be okay doing it that way, but there is a higher risk that it will make them sick. We do leave ours out 24/7 all year around; they have run-in sheds for shelter and they do just fine--it's very rare for any of them to show any indication that the cold weather is bothering them. Exception would be one that gets injured and cannot move around like always--we've had that happen to one or two over the years, and in that case the horse still stays out as usual but does get blanketed.

The first year we were on this place all we had was the barn, no other shelters, so in winter the horses did get put in the barn every night. It wasn't heated, but with all the horses in there it was very warm--above freezing, because we'd leave a tub of water in the aisleway and it would never have ice on it in the morning, and on the coldest morning I could go in & take off my winterwear and not be cold. We were lucky that we did not end up with sick horses--we knew that it was a recipe for illness but with no other shelters available we had little choice other than to leave the barn doors open so that it didn't get quite so warm inside...we were glad to get loose housing built the next summer so that we didn't have to repeat that practice the following winter.

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I do not live where it gets as cold as you - but all my horses stay outside 24/7 with the exception of feeding time - they each have their own stall they can go into and once they get done eating, back out they go! 

However, they can go back into their stalls anytime if the weather is bad as they can go in and out freely as desired. 

I never blanket anyone as I find the winter woolies work just fine. If you are really concerned, why not turn off the heat in the barn while in at night?

 

[minimom1]

We have to leave the heat on or all the pipes will freeze.

Thanks for your opinions.

 

[Relic]

l believe unless a mini is sick old growing in a clip job or just arrived from a warmer place they are healthier outside 24/7. Run in sheds food and water at all times even at -45C up here doesn't kill them. Mine hate wind in winter so don't see many out on those days/nights but none seem to have a problem with the cold and are big hairy things till spring. We shut down and drain the pipes to the barn late Sept at todays prices l know l couldn't afford to keep a heated barn...

 

[Marty]

I don't have that kind of weather thank heavens but if i had a heated barn here and brought them in and out where they would get a huge blast of freezing air, I'd say that is not healthy. If my husband had his way, he would have my insullated barn shut up as tight as it can be on freezing nights. I tell him I'm not growing orchids in there! And I keep the doors half way open or so, so they can still get fresh air even if its cold as I think ventilation is important. I also think its the wind that would make them sick more than anything else, and not having a dry place to stand.

If I did have your kind of weather however I'd die, then, I would probably want a heated barn or at the very least, heated water buckets and keep hay in front of them and hire some male strippers to really bring on the heat to keep my face from freezing off. I would not keep them out 24-7 but I absolutely would opt for a daily turn out so they can move around and digest well. The best way I know to see if a horse is really cold is to feel his ear. Since your horses run for the barn, I'd listen to them. I believe that the very young and very old would be at risk moreso than the others.

 

[GypsyMoonMinis]

i know they've done studies on performance horses that shows the change from a heated barn to cold outdoors can cause respiratory issues. I beleive that if it is only heated to 45 degrees and no more it wouldn't be as bad. I myself keep mine outdoors and bring them in when it gets below 20. They have a shelter outside but still will hang out and get wet, so ill bring them in then as well. I just kind of keep an eye on them. We've been having some really nasty wet snows and its been below 17 for the alst fwe days, so they've been out during the day but have been inside from 7 to 7. However, the indoors is not heated, but its still warmer and the main thing is to keep them dry and out of the wind. if I had pastures, i would more than likely keep them out unless it was below zero. no matter what i would bring them in then.

if your horses are showing no signs of climate stress, i wouldn't worry too much. do they have heavy coats?

 

[Sue_C.]

I know two people who started out heating their barns, one a mini breeder, the other bred and trained quarterhorses. Both had issues with respritory problems, including several cases of pneumonia for the few winters they did this. Now, neither has heated barns, and the problems associated with them have gone, except for a few horses that will now always suffer with breathing difficulties.

 

[Horse Feathers]

We've been having some really nasty wet snows and its been below 17 for the alst fwe days

Me and all my animals would already have froze to death. Low today is 59(cold front blew in last night)

 

[tagalong]

When I worked with minis back in Canada - and it would get down to -40... only the very old and the very young came in at night. And any pregnant mare who might be problematical. The barn was not heated except for the small bathroom... the rest of it was just well insulated. By morning it felt quite toasty in there - above freezing anyway! - thanks to all the equine bodies that warmed it up overnight. The horses who went outside for the day did not have any issues. NO blankets. That just flattens down the hair.

The ones who stayed outside 24/7 had lovely shelters that they mainly used as outhouses

, heated stock waterers and extra hay when it got very cold. Occasionally elk and mule deer would come into the pens to take advantage of the water and hay.

I know that when this topic came up at one point - and some of us mentioned that we left horses out at -40 with no ill effects, some forum memebers were angry with us... but I think happy, shiny, fuzzy horses told the tale and said that horses can do very well outside in those temperatures!

 

[Sue_C.]

NO blankets. That just flattens down the hair.

I wish more people understood this. I hate driving by a stable with a field full of horses huddled miserably in thin "winter" sheets. Those poor horses are actually colder than if left un-blanketed because they cannot fluff thier natural coats to trap warmed air because the insufficient sheet won't allow it. If you feel you must blanket in the winter...you should double blanket, and use nothing but the warmest blankets you can buy.

some of us mentioned that we left horses out at -40 with no ill effects, some forum members were angry with us... but I think happy, shiny, fuzzy horses told the tale and said that horses can do very well outside in those temperatures

When I lived in Alberta, my thoroughbred was pasture boarded only...he would grow an enormous amount of hair, and was never cold. There were several shelters out in the pasture (200 acres) yet only in the worst of blizzards would they use them, preferring the outdoors. Here in Nova Scotia, I briong them in more often, but only because there is so much cold rain and slush...that ia a different story altogether.